A suicide bomber has blown himself up close to the ancient pharaonic temple of Karnak in Luxor in southern Egypt, a site visited by millions of tourists every year

A suicide bomber has blown himself up close to the ancient pharaonic temple of Karnak in Luxor in southern Egypt, a site visited by millions of tourists every year.

No tourists were killed or hurt in the attack and the Nile-side monument sustained no damage, the government confirmed. The attack was the second this month near a major tourist attraction in Egypt, marking a shift in tactics in a campaign of violence by Islamic militants against the government.

The attacks suggest extremists are shifting from their focus on attacks against security forces to targeting Egypt's vital tourism sector. A sustained campaign would threaten to wreck an industry that has long been a main revenue earner for Egypt and is only just beginning to recover from the country's turmoil since 2011.

On June 3 gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire outside the famed Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, killing two police officers. Officials said security at Karnak thwarted what would have been a worse attack by preventing the bomber from entering the temple complex and battling two gunmen who were with him, killing one and capturing the other.